In 2023, the average life expectancy in the United States has risen by almost a year, climbing back to a level not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported on Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The U.S. average life expectancy reached 78.4 years in 2023—an increase of nearly 11 months compared to 2022—primarily due to a significant decrease in COVID-19 fatalities. This marks the second consecutive year of rising life expectancy following a drop of more than two years from 2019 to 2021.

“There was concern that we might struggle to return to pre-pandemic life expectancy levels,” stated Dr. Steven Woolf, former director of the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University, describing the latest longevity figures as “very encouraging.”

Last year, COVID-19 fatalities declined by 73% as new cases fell and more Americans received vaccinations or had previously contracted the virus. In 2022, COVID-19 was the fourth leading cause of death, but it dropped to the tenth spot last year.

The positive trends in longevity were not solely attributed to a decrease in COVID-19 deaths. Age-adjusted mortality rates fell for nine of the top ten causes of death last year. The only exception was cancer, which remained unchanged in death rates despite being the second leading cause of death.

According to provisional data from the CDC, heart disease continued to be the leading cause of death, followed by cancer, accidents, stroke, respiratory diseases, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, and COVID-19.

Decline in Drug Overdose Deaths

In a separate report on Thursday, the CDC announced that drug overdose deaths fell by 4% in 2023, marking the first decline since 2018. Over the past twenty years, drug overdose fatalities have surged, significantly exacerbated by an addiction crisis. In 2003, the age-adjusted rate of drug overdose deaths was 8.9 per 100,000, which skyrocketed to 32.6 in 2022. However, last year, the rate decreased to 31.3 per 100,000.

Deaths associated with synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which had been on the rise for the last decade, showed a decline last year. This reduction is attributed to extensive nationwide efforts to distribute naloxone—an opioid overdose reversal drug—to high-risk individuals, improve access to addiction treatments like buprenorphine, and increase public education on the dangers of illegal fentanyl.

Public health initiatives aimed at reducing overdose deaths are yielding positive results, according to Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, a professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University.

“The strategies designed to assist drug users in avoiding fatal fentanyl overdoses are starting to show success,” added Sharfstein, who is also director of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative.

Early indications show that overdose deaths continued to decline in the first half of 2024. The Biden administration officials reported that data from the CDC revealed a 14.5% decline in drug overdose deaths from July 2023 to June 2024.

Gupta highlighted the initiatives aimed at improving naloxone’s accessibility and affordability and tackling illicit fentanyl supply at the borders. “The latest statistics reflect that these efforts are effective, resulting in 16,000 fewer overdose deaths over the past year,” he stated.

U.S. Life Expectancy Compared to Other Countries

Before the pandemic, American life expectancy already lagged behind other affluent nations, Woolf noted.

Young and middle-aged adult fatalities stemmed primarily from four causes: drug overdoses, suicide, alcohol-related deaths, and chronic conditions like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.

<p”Woolf remarked, “The precarious situation we were in prior to the pandemic was alarming. There is a significant underlying issue affecting Americans’ health, as evidenced by stagnant life expectancy in the decade leading up to the pandemic, in contrast to increasing life expectancies in other wealthy nations.”

While many refer to rising mortality among younger adults as “deaths of despair,” Woolf emphasized that this label does not encompass the full scope of the crisis faced by working-age Americans. His research team identified 35 increasing causes of death among young adults, indicating a larger systemic issue beyond mere despair.

Increased lifespan seen in nearly all demographics

According to the CDC, while the death rates for infants and children under 4 remained stable, there was a notable improvement in longevity for most other age groups last year. The rates for adults aged 25 to 34, 45 to 54, and 55 to 64 all saw declines of over 9%.

The CDC also highlighted improvements in longevity across various races and genders. Specifically, death rates for Hispanic males, as well as American Indian and Alaska Native individuals (both males and females), fell by more than 10%. Reductions were also noted among Asian, Black, and white populations.

In 2023, the average life expectancy for males rose by one year to reach 74.8 years, while females saw an increase of 0.9 years, resulting in an average life expectancy of 81.1 years.